Shattered, Repaired, Renewed
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: When Carbine breaks up with Throttle, he needs time to heal. Charley offers the space and acceptance he needs. And maybe more...chapters revamped...again...
1. Chapter 1

When Carbine breaks up with Throttle, he needs time to heal. Charley offers the space and acceptance he needs. And maybe more...

Disclaimer: Still don't own the mice.

Chapter 1: Shattered

"You don't do it for me anymore."

That was all she said. That was her entire explanation. No excuses, no tantrums, no justifications.

Just, "You don't do it for me anymore."

Those were the only words Carbine said as she broke up with Throttle.

He tried to ask her why, if it was something he did, something he didn't do? Something he said, something he hadn't said? Was the distance too far? Did they not talk enough?

He even asked if it was someone else; if she had just fallen out of love with him, he swore he could help her love him again.

Her reply was the same as before. "You just don't do it for me anymore." And she stood up from the table and turned off her receiver on Mars.

He knew she'd said, _"You don't do it for me anymore." _What he heard in his heart was, _"You're not enough. You're not good enough. You never were." _

The sound of static had filled the room back on Earth. Throttle sat back in the chair, just staring at the mike of the communicator. He shut his eyes hard, blinking back hot tears that wanted to well up and out. He swallowed the cry that wanted to come from his throat. He forced his fists to uncurl, his fingers to loosen. It would take much longer to ease the tight ball of hurt in his chest, or soothe the sick feeling in his stomach.

For the next few weeks, Throttle barely slept. The happy memories he had made with Carbine, some of the only bright spots of happiness, peace, or love he'd known since the war had started, were now tainted. Those memories would circle his thoughts and seep through his mind at night, poisoning any rest he might get. He avoided everyone he knew like they had the plague. He couldn't bear hearing others being happy right then, when he honestly felt like he might never be happy again.

Vinnie and Modo heard the news from Stoker..._three weeks later_, that was how silent Throttle had become. The two other mice had been worried sick about their bro's behavior, recognizing the signs but not knowing the cause of his depression. When they found out, both had been quite willing to fly back to Mars and skin the general alive. Vinnie had been particularly vindictive, and managed to catch Carbine's personal call signal with their communicator. The two hour long rant he'd left for her had nearly gotten all three Earth-bound Martians banned from communications with Mars for life.

Mode and Vincent tried to talk to their bro about it, trying to get it out of his system before it sucked him down. They tried everything, from one-on-one talks, ambushing him, tag-teaming and cornering him so he couldn't get away. Hell, they even went so far as to deliberately pick fights with him, to at least get him to use anger to get his depression out. But Throttle would just go silent, ignoring their efforts and leaving the room as soon as they backed off. He had started taking long night rides to avoid going back to the scoreboard, aimlessly cruising the streets of Chicago.

Although, the only people he didn't avoid were Limburger's thugs. That crew of troublemakers were currently hiding for their lives, after Modo and Vinnie had to drag their bro away from them during their last brawl. Vinnie wouldn't admit it, but it had almost scared him how coldly vicious Throttle had been with them. Thankfully, Throttle hadn't gone actively hunting the gang, and the gang stayed away from him.

To the complete shock of Vinnie and Modo, (and the silent gratitude of Throttle), Charley had never once tried the 'girl thing' on him. Or as she liked to put it, 'pull a Dr. Phil.' She never pushed or insist that he talk it out. She never once brought it up with him, gracefully avoiding the subject and even leading the other two mice away from it whenever they were all together. When confronted by a stunned Vinnie as to why she'd been quiet about it, she'd pointed out that you couldn't force Throttle to do anything he didn't really want to do. All that did was piss him off and get you both nowhere.

She would try to help him in her own way and see if it was of any use to him, she told them. She had them give their fearless leader all the space he wanted, and to leave this one to her for now. Modo and Vinnie had agreed, not knowing what else to try. They had known him for years, but they didn't know how to handle him in such a deep depression. Throttle was normally so reserved and controlled that you almost never saw him angry. To see him like this left his two best friends at a loss.

The mechanic sometimes wondered about the friendship the three mice shared. They knew each other better than they knew themselves. They'd been through war and hardships that made her shudder to even think about. Yet they could sometimes be completely blind about each other's feelings. _Typical guys. Talk about nothing, act like they know everything._

Charley knew that Throttle wasn't aware that she could hear him come in from his night rides. He would park behind the garage and come in through the kitchen door to try to sleep on the couch. He would always be up before her, but she would hear his bike rev in the mornings as he drove back to the scoreboard. On the fourth week of his rides into the city, she stayed down in the kitchen, waiting up for him.

Only the light over the stove was on, a soft glow of yellow in the kitchen. He came in pretty quietly for a Biker Mouse, carefully closing the door as silently as he could. So when he turned around and saw her waiting for him at the kitchen table, he almost jumped out of his fur. His voice was rougher than he meant it to be when he spoke, "Charley? What are you doing up this late?"

She just smiled, pushing forward a full mug of hot chocolate. "Just reassuring a few friends of ours that you sleep somewhere safe when you go out."

He stood still by the door, the argument plain on his face as to stay or go.

She saw his hesitation and stood from her chair at the table. "I'll go back up to my room if you want some privacy."

Throttle closed his eyes and shook his head, giving a soft sigh of resignation. "No, don't. You shouldn't have to leave a room of your own house." He slowly walked over to the old oak table, his tail pulling up a chair across from her. The mouse took hold of the offered mug, glancing up at her as he recognized the contents. "Hot chocolate?"

"I figured coffee wasn't the best idea this late at night," she said, her voice soft as she sat back down. "I bought your favorite kind of chocolate."

He frowned slightly at that. "How did you know I like hot chocolate?" _Why do you care? _he wondered.

"Christmas. You were downing it like a thirsty man in the desert, and you don't normally like sweets."

_She remembered from Christmas? Eight months ago? _"Hnn. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They lapsed into an oddly comfortable quiet. She didn't ask him anything, didn't pry or lecture. He offered her no words; he barely even looked at her. But somehow, he still felt at ease. Later, they said their 'good nights', heading off to sleep, no awkwardness between them at all. It was what he had desperately needed for a while now, this blessed normalcy and acceptance, and the tan mouse was grateful for it. He actually caught a few hours sleep that night.

This soon became their special pattern. He would leave the board around eleven, taking a quick patrol around the city before heading back to the garage. She would always be waiting, a mug of chocolate beside her own. Sometimes they would talk, mostly about the latest adventure, sometimes about Modo and Vinnie, sometimes about her work. Sometimes they would just sit in the kitchen and sip, not needing to say anything at all. Charley made sure to call Vinnie and Modo when she would head up to sleep, to leave them a message to let them know that Throttle was safe at her place. Both Mice slept better knowing that they didn't have to worry quite so much about their tan-furred bro.

Throttle wasn't quite sure what to make of all this. He appreciated that she wasn't asking him about Carbine. He really appreciated that she wanted to respect his privacy and let him deal with this on his own. But he knew that it really wasn't like Charley to just let something like this go without talking about it. Why was she so quiet about it now?

So he finally broke down about two weeks into this new pattern and flat out asked her if she was curious at all about what had happened. Her response surprised him.

"I'm about ready to die of curiosity."

"Huh?"

"Are you ready to talk yet?"

"No, dammit, I-" he suddenly caught himself, surprised at his reaction to her question. "I-I'm sorry, Charley, for the language." _You know better than to talk like that in front of a lady! Especially Charley-girl!_

She found herself smiling at his flustered look as she shook her head at him. "Don't worry about it. Look, I just figure that you'll tell me about it when you're good and ready, not a moment sooner. Hearts are private things. And you're a very private person."

Throttle felt a real smile tug at his lips for the first time in weeks. "Stoker says you're a good listener."

Charley almost blushed at that. "Really? Remind me to thank him for that later. So," she cocked an eyebrow at him, "do you want to talk? Or just leave it for now?"

The mouse shook his head, looking away from her clear green eyes. "Leave it. I don't want to be depressed right now. I just want to go back to how I used to be before all this," he muttered.

The girl nodded. "Alright. You up for a James Bomb movie?"

His ears perked in interest. "Which one?"

"The one with the giant satellite that could destroy the earth."

"That narrows it down to about...six films."

She laughed as they walked into the living room.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with corporate America. Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Lawrence Limburger, Karbunkle, Chef Andy Steinhaur are all original characters of the beloved show, and I don't own them either.

Nor the killer song, 'Not Meant to Be', by Theory of a Deadman. Everyone else is mine.

Chapter 2

Months slowly passed, and with each day, Throttle became more and more like himself again. He was still quieter than before, but that couldn't really be helped yet. Vinne and Modo were just glad to see their bro getting back to normal, and told Charley that whatever she was doing, to keep it up. She smiled and told them that it was all Throttle, she hadn't done anything. And in her mind, she hadn't. Waiting up for a friend to come home wasn't the hardest thing to do, in her opinion.

Although, Throttle still had his bad days. There was one in particular when she thought he was going to smash her radio apart with his bare hands. They'd all been eating breakfast at her place, and Charley had just started the dishes when a new song came on the radio. She couldn't help but hum along, as the tune seemed to fit Throttle's situation perfectly.

_'Its never enough to say I'm sorry_

_Its never enough to say I care_

_But I'm caught between what you wanted from me_

_And knowing if I give that to you, I might just disappear_

_Nobody wins when everyone's losing_

_Its like one step forward and two steps back_

_No matter what I do, you're always mad_

_And I can't change your mind_

_Its like trying to turn around on a one way street_

_I can't give you what you want and its killing me_

_And I, I'm starting to see_

_Maybe we're not mean to be_

_Its never enough to say I love you_

_No, its never enough to say I try_

_Its hard to believe that there's no way out for you and me_

_And it seems to be the story of our life_

_Nobody wins when everyone's losing_

_Its like one step forward and two steps back_

_No matter what I do, you're always mad_

_And I can't change your mind_

_Its like trying to turn around on a one way street_

_I can't give you what you want and its killing me_

_And I, I'm starting to see_

_Maybe we're not mean to be_

_Theres still time to turn this around_

_Should we be building this up_

_Instead of tearing it down_

_But I keep thinking maybe its too late_

_Its like one step forward and two steps back_

_No matter what I do, you're always mad_

_And I can't change your mind_

_Its like trying to turn around on a one way street_

_I can't give you what you want and its killing me_

_And I, I finally see_

_Baby, we're not meant to be_

_Its like one step forward and two steps back_

_No matter what I do, you're always mad_

_And I'm, baby I'm sorry to see_

_Maybe we're not meant to be'_

The sound of a tail lashing against a chair's legs and a jaw clenching so hard the teeth were grinding made her snap the radio off. Everyone sent a nervous glance to the tan mouse, who refused to look at anyone. With a move so quick it sent the chair across the room, he stood and stormed out of the house. They didn't see him again until the next day, much calmer than before.

According to the news later that night, the bar that Limburger's thugs liked the most had burned to the ground.

Charley decided to keep the radio up in her room after that.

The rides eventually came less and less as the weeks went by, the smudges under his eyes gradually fading back to normal as the dreams and nightmares slowly faded from his mind. Every time he came over to see her, though, the two of them would unconsciously sit closer together. Their talks became less and less superficial, often turning to subjects like philosophy, history, and even religion. And yet sometimes they would end up laughing half the night away from telling stories.

She found out that the Martian mouse was a hardcore anime freak, or 'otaku', as he preferred it. (She had laughed so hard when she found out that he had learned Japanese through subtitled animes. _Badly _subtitled animes, to boot.) Old transmissions from Earth, (about 8 to 11 months out of date) would strike Mars as they traveled through space, and he caught many of the shows on his old home's tv set. That was how most Martians had learned English. Throttle had loved watching Saturday morning cartoons, and the newer animes that would come on in the afternoons, as a child. He liked the original 'Star Wars' movies and loved sci-fi films best, with the occasional docu-drama thrown in, if it had enough gore in it.

"Good Lord," she laughed. "The coolest guy I know is a raging geek!"

"I'm not a raging geek! I worked through anger management years ago," he smirked.

He found out that she had drawn her own comic in high school for her school's newspaper, and it had been wildly popular. But she had loved building bikes more than drawing, and so had decided to be a mechanic. Besides, she could never give up the family business. The Last Chance Garage had been in her family since the 1930's, and she hated the idea of not continuing the family's legacy.

Throttle loved hot chocolate, Charlene hated sweet iced tea. She loved hot Earl Grey, though. She hated dresses and skirts; not out of some bizarre wish to deny her feminity, but that they were just so impractical in her line of work. He thought the occasional tux was alright for weddings and funerals, but absolutely refused to wear a shirt with sleeves any other time. (Charley wasn't objecting. Those arms of his deserved to be shown off to the world.) They both had a similar sense of dry humor, and both could use sarcasm to great affect.

The two friends had learned a lot about each other's personal histories. He told her about joining the Freedom Fighters when he was twelve, brought in by Stoker after he'd been caught swiping food from the Army camps for some of his homeless friends. The older mouse had seen Throttle plan out distractions for the guards, divide and use his available manpower effectively, and bring everyone back in without getting caught. Well, by the Army at least. That had made Stoker bring him to the FF and begin to train him for combat. Throttle had wanted to help get the Plutarkians back anyway he could, and had thrown himself into it with everything he had.

He'd also lied like hell about his age, the only way that Stoker had ever agreed to take him into combat. It had not been pretty when the elder mouse found out his actual age was 12 and not 15. Stoker refused to let him go out on missions for weeks, and had been genuinely sick with horror and worry when he remembered how much war a twelve year old _**child**_ had seen while under his care.

Throttle first met Modo and Vinnie two years later, in separate units from his. When a huge battle had short-handed the group for an important mission, the three had been put together. The mission went off without a hitch, (Charley figured that meant at least eight buildings had been blown up), and they were assigned to each other ever since.

When they were in battle together, it was all good, when they weren't, Vinnie and Modo were ready to kill each other. It had been a huge personality clash, not to mention that since Vinnie was the younger of the three by two years, Modo had been trying to _protect _him. That went over like a lead balloon. It really hadn't helped that Vinnie looked ten, and Modo like he was going on eighteen. (Modo had been huge even when he was young, and Vinnie's growth spurts didn't hit till he was sixteen.)

Throttle had point blank _refused _to let them fight. Every time he caught them at it, he had forced them to find something in common with each other. Turned out that both his bros' bikes were family heirlooms, they loved heavy metal, and neither one of them could sing to save their lives. That had finally broken enough tensions that the two mice could focus on working together and fighting the stinkfish, not each other.

He told her about his bike and learning to ride her from his mother, Cadillac. Martian AI bikes could choose their riders, and the day the bike had accepted him had been up there as one of the happiest of his life. He had learned to jump, slide, drift, do wheelies, even his first flying lesson had come from his mother, who'd once been a stunt show trick rider before the war.

Charley had told him about her mom and dad, who'd died when she was nine years old in a car wreck. Her uncle Ryan, the owner of the Last Chance garage, had taken her in, raising her like his own daughter. She'd learned everything she knew from him, stunning her shop teachers in school with her skills with metal.

She'd had two amazing friends, who were as close to her as any real siblings, probably closer. She had always called them her sisters, and they had called her the same. Lily and Julia had loved cars and motorcycles as much as she had, and were the best riders in all of Chicago. They had been the ones to teach her how to ride, do motorcross tricks, and even got her into racing competitions. Throttle had smiled at that, "Wow, two other girls out there are as good as you? Where are they now? We could always use some more good bikers."

Charley went very quiet from her spot on the couch as she spoke. "My sisters died, hit by a semi-truck that had skidded on the ice that winter, when I was eighteen. My uncle Ryan died six months after that."

Throttle's ears drooped at her words, and he ducked his head a bit. "I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk."

"Don't say that, how could you have known?" she asked, not unkindly. "It wasn't long after that, a few weeks before my birthday I think, that Jack broke up with me."

Throttle's eyes widened, and his shades slid down his muzzle as he looked at her. "McCyber broke up with you during all that?"

"Said it was too much for him," she said, not a trace of bitterness in her voice. "I don't blame him. That's a lot to ask someone to deal with."

Throttle stared in disbelieving shock at her. "He was your _fiancé, _wasn't he? He was supposed to be there for you, not ditch you!"

"I didn't ask him to stay," she said softly, unable to look Throttle in the eye. "I wanted him to go. For the longest time after that, I thought"-she paused and shook her head. "No, forget it, its stupid."

He tilted her chin up with a gentle finger so he could see her face. "You thought what?"

"This is going to sound so stupid, but I thought I was cursed," she said quietly. "Everybody was dead; my parents, my uncle, my best friends. I have no family, not one single relative left alive. Its just me. I didn't want something bad to happen to Jack too, so when he wanted to leave, I didn't fight him on it. I just stayed by myself ever since that day."

"For five years?" he asked softly.

"Until you guys came." Her smile lit up the room as she went on. "You have no idea how much joy you three give me"-she blushed bright red and covered her mouth with her hand, unable to face him after saying that. _Way to go, blabbermouth_.

Throttle found himself blushing, and tried to laugh off his embarrassment with a joke. "You mean we're not just furry pains in the rear?"

She whirled back to face him. "Of course not! What made you think I think that?"

"Nothing, its just-" _Oh no, now she looks offended_! "I know we put a lot of stress on you, Charley-girl, and we ask a lot from you"-

She shook her head in denial, "No, no you don't"-

"We keep putting you in danger"-

"I know the risks"-

"Charley." His tone made her stop talking. "I know that me and my bros don't say it or really show it, but...we really do appreciate everything you do for us."

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm just repaying everything you've done for me."

He frowned in confusion. "I don't understand."

Charlene paused a moment, trying to gather her thoughts and not sound like some over-dramatic actress. "It was like I was in the dark and you three brought the light back. All the good times and bad, the crazy adventures," she laughed, "it was like coming back from the dead. I'm alive again, and you have no idea how good that feels. I know that I don't say it or show it often enough, but I-I love you three. I-dammit, I'm just so scared that I'll jinx it, that if I say or do something wrong, you won't come home." _Well that was epic fail on not sounding dramatic_. She sniffed, trying very hard not to cry on top of all this mushiness. God, emotional stuff was so embarrassing.

"Oh, Charley-girl..." He took her hand in his, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders to pull her to his side. The mouse leaned his head against her, trying to comfort her in his own awkward way.

She took a deep breath to try and get her control back. "Just-please promise me, lie and promise me that you'll always come back."

"Charley, it won't be a lie. We will come back to you." He pulled her tighter to his chest, like he was trying to reassure himself as well. "I will always come back to you, okay?"

She tucked her arms around him, pulling herself as close to him as she could get. "You promise?"

"I swear, on my clan's true name, that we will always come back to you," he said firmly. "And Martians have no higher promise than that."

"Thank you," Charley said softly. She nuzzled her cheek against his arm, suddenly feeling very sleepy. She gave a small yawn. "Sorry, I guess I'm getting tired already."

"Already? Its one in the morning," he said. "You've had a hard day." And she had. Seven cars were still outside to be worked on, with both garage bays full of other jobs she had finished a few hours before. He scooped her up in his arms and stood, carrying her to the stairs. "Throttle? What are you doing?" she said with a small blush.

"What does it look like?" He laughed, "You must be tired if you don't know what's going on."

She blushed brighter at his words and the warmth of his body against hers. "Um, you are aware that this can be taken in some very different ways?"

He gave her a confused look before he suddenly blushed in realization. "No, not like-I mean-Wait-I didn't mean it like that!"

She laughed. "Glad we've got that all cleared up," she said in light sarcasm. They reached her room and he put her lightly down on her feet. They stayed in a small embrace, not quite knowing what to do next.

He decided to apologize. After all, she might not have appreciated being man-handled. "I'm sorry, if my carrying you bothered you."

"No, no its fine," she smiled. "You were trying to help me, nothing wrong with that, right?"

He found a small smile at her words. "Nope, nothing wrong with carrying your friends around. Not that I carry Vinnie or Modo around a lot, or ever, really, I just-" he cleared his throat in embarrassment. _Yeah, __**that **__made a lot of sense to the girl. I bet she thinks I'm a real genius right about now_. "With Carbine, I kind of always had to watch it with helping her; she never wanted to seem weak or anything like that. I always wanted to help her, but she wouldn't really let me. With you, its different. I've never really had a girl friend-I mean, a friend that's a girl, before, so I don't always know what to do. I'm not sure what's acceptable and what isn't." He tried to explain his reasoning, carefully leaving out the niggling worry that he would annoy her badly enough that she'd push him away. Carbine had always hated it when he'd been 'clingy'.

"I don't think there are any rules to friendship, Throttle. All you have to do is be friends together. Help each other, support each other, that sort of thing. You just feel what you feel, and move on from there."_ Sound advice. Should I act on it and see what happens? _She blushed and ducked her head, embarrassed. Charley decided to hope for the best and leaned up, giving him a tiny kiss to the cheek as she said goodnight, hurriedly going to her room and closing the door.

Throttle was rooted to the spot for a good five minutes, finally reaching up and touching the spot she had kissed. He slowly walked back down to the living room to get the couch set up for sleeping, wondering about that kiss. Friends kissed, right? Or did she want...was he ready for...

Gods, why did this have to be so confusing? The more she made him feel wanted, the more he wanted her-

As a friend. Only as a friend. He had to keep reminding himself of that. Carbine had been gone such a short time, he didn't think he should be thinking about someone new yet. Especially if that someone was Charley. A part of him still loved Carbine, and he did miss her. So it had to be too soon to be thinking about someone else, right?

Throttle was honest enough with himself to know that he really wasn't much for introspection, but he knew that he needed to get his head on straight. Too much depended on him to be constantly distracted by drama-the Mouse winced. _Great. Now I'm starting to sound like Scabbard_. He sighed, then laid down on the couch to think. It was still a good idea to work this out, so he tried to pin down exactly what he felt for Charley. She was thoughtful, smart, stubborn as hell, feisty, more than a little nagging, a neat-freak, and downright vicious when something involved her exs (he shuddered at remembering the glee she'd shown when shooting that Van Hamm guy). She was also sweet, kind, compassionate, forgiving, and generous to a fault.

She'd never lied to him, and her words always corresponded with her feelings. She never played with his emotions and her blunt honesty was refreshing after so many years of increasingly catty games with Carbine. But sometimes it was hard to believe that his human friend really did accept him for who he actually was. No one else ever had. All his life, he had been told that he wasn't good enough. Not good enough for his clan's name, or their love. Not good enough to play with other children, not good enough to be a soldier under Stoker. Trying to prove himself to everyone, every second of every day, had nearly driven him crazy.

But Charley never asked for anything like that. She always had a smile for him, always welcomed him whenever he came to her. She only wanted him to be happy. And it was easy to be happy when he was around her. Most things were easier with her by his side. She had helped pull him out of the black hole his depression had sucked him into, and he didn't know if he could ever let her go again. Did that mean that he was falling for her?

_Ah, screw it_. He put the thoughts of her out of his mind for the night. He'd wonder about it later.


	3. Chapter 3

Noroi's story kills. Go read it. Even if you don't catch the last chapter, the view of Vincent Van Wham is unique, interesting, and very well written.

Disclaimer: see previous chapter

Chapter 3

Charley finished putting the last bags of trash out on the curb, stretching out her arms and shoulders as she walked back to the garage. A small smile played on her lips from the memories as she came inside. It had been an interesting day for everyone, but especially Throttle. She'd found out that it was his birthday a few days ago and got a quick party together for him. All of their friends had showed up, from Chef Andy to Four-by's crew, presents in tow. The orphans had even chipped in and gotten him a new leather vest.

The mouse had seemed surprised that so many people had celebrated, and was almost...shy...throughout the party. She guessed that he wasn't used to so many people fussing over him. There had been music, laughter, stories told, and several cans of soda sprayed at Vinnie when he'd threatened-er, _serenaded_-the crowd with his version of the Birthday song.

The party had been called off early when the latest of Limburger's villains had started trashing the metal factory, sabotaging the machinery. The call had come from an almost apologetic Sweet Georgie Brown, who'd dedicated several songs to the 'birthday biker' all day long.

Throttle gave an embarrassed shrug, "I guess it's a working birthday."

They'd been gone for three hours, and the rest of the guests had gone home by now. Modo had called, offering to swing by on their way back to the board to help clean up, but she wouldn't hear of it. "I know I sprung that party on you at the last minute, so if you guys want some time with your bro, its fine by me," she said.

"Are you sure, Charley-ma'am?"

"Don't worry, I've got this already. Go do whatever you boys do for fun, watch the property damage"-

"Aw, that's no fun"-

-"Watch the property damage," she said in a warning tone, suddenly dissolving into laughter. "Oh, who cares? Have a good time, and tell Throttle 'happy birthday' for me."

"And it has been," Modo said in a glad voice. "Today's gonna go down as the best birthday he's ever had."

"What?" It hadn't been _that_ good. He hadn't even gotten to open most of his presents yet. "What do you mean by that?"

"Uh, nothin', we'll see you tomorrow, later Charley!" She blinked in surprise as the radio clicked off. What was all that about?

* * *

A muffled curse woke the girl from her sleep on the couch. She groaned softly as she glanced at her watch and saw it was four in the morning. Aw man, she'd only meant to sit down for a minute, not fall asleep! She rolled to a sitting position, blinking her eyes against the light in the kitchen. A groggy Throttle had just come in the door.

He sleepily took off his jacket and gun belt and tossed them on the kitchen table. He yawned as he stumbled over to the couch, sitting beside his friend and pulling his boots and knee pads off. "Am I late?"

She could barely keep her eyes open as she said, "I didn't-(yawn)-know you were coming."

"Oh, sorry. Want me to go?"

She shook her head. "No, you're good. Why're ya here?"

He blinked hard to try and focus on her question as he pulled off his bandana. "I…I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to go back to the board."

"Okay," she said sleepily. "I'll get moving then"-

"Huh? Why?"

"You normally sleep on the couch"-

"No, you were sleeping, I'll go"-

"No, it's your birthday, I'll go"-

He quietly laughed. "Charley, the birthday excuse, it don't fly with me. I'll go back to the board"-

"No," she said, touching his arm. "You didn't even get to have your party all night like ya should have. C'mon, you're sleeping in a real bed tonight." She pulled him up and they made their way to the stairs, heading up to her room.

"Charley, I'm not gonna kick you out of your own bed"-

"I'm invitin' you in, dummy, now are you gonna keep arguing, or are we finally gonna get some sleep?"

"...little cranky when you're sleepy, huh?"

"Shut up and get in bed." They crawled under the warm comforter and sheets, unconsciously pulling each other close. He wrapped strong arms around her, her legs tangling with his, and his long tail curled at her waist. The last thought that crossed the Martian's mind before sleep claimed him was that this truly was the best birthday he'd ever had.

* * *

Throttle slowly stirred, the light from the window hitting his eyes and making him wince. He turned over, pulling the covers up to try and block the sun as he pressed further into the pillows. A little voice in the back of his head went off. _Wait a minute, since when do I sleep on a bed with pillows? _He groped around, finally finding his glasses on the small table next to the bed. He slid them on, sitting up to try and get his bearings. He was in a bed (with sheets), in a room by himself, with no other mice around. Definitely not the scoreboard. The slight feminine touches to the room made it through the sleep-fog in his brain and let him know where he was. Hnn. He'd been sleeping in Charley's room. More specifically, her bed.

_He'd been sleeping in Charley's bed._

The Martian scrambled out of the sheets, relieved beyond words that he still had his pants on. (He also made a valiant effort to ignore the part of him that was disappointed he still had his pants on.) He replayed the events of last night in his mind. Somehow, Charley had found out it was his birthday and got a party for him. _An actual party_, he quietly marveled to himself, _with music and cake and everything. _He'd never had a birthday party before. They'd even gotten him presents.

Limburger had brought that to an end with a villain trashing a factory on the other side of town. He and his bros had gone out and kicked tail, and then his bros had taken him out to the root beer bars. They'd had a pretty good time tearing up the town. Modo had even said that Charley gave her blessing for blowing stuff up. It was late when they decided to call it a night. (Or ridiculously early, depending on your view.) He remembered wanting to go home, had started out driving to the board-and somehow he'd turned to go to the garage. And he couldn't' remember how he ended up in Charley's bed.

How in the hell had he gotten here? And more importantly, where did Charley sleep last night?

Slight noises downstairs made his ears perk up. He headed towards the kitchen, smiling at the sight before him. Charley was making breakfast, flipping pancakes from a skillet on the stove. She was dressed in an over-large sports shirt and a pair of cut-off jean shorts, her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail. She was smiling, humming a soft tune to herself. "You're in a good mood."

She whirled to face him, startled. "Throttle! You scared me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to," he said. "You're making pancakes?"

"They're your favorite, right?"

"Yeah." He sat at the kitchen bar, "Anything I can do?"

She gave him a stern look. "Oh no, you just sit right there. I didn't get to make a birthday breakfast yesterday, so this will have to do." The girl took out a plate and silverware from the cabinets, setting a place for him.

He gave her a small smile. "Birthdays mean a lot to you, huh?"

She shrugged. "Well, I just thought you deserved to have a good day. I've still got some of your presents here, you know."

He looked almost embarrassed at the news. "I can't believe you went to the trouble to get me something."

Charley smiled. "You're worth more than a little trouble, otaku."

He smiled at her nickname for him before he suddenly frowned. "Charley?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to apologize to you."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Apologize? Why?"

"I think I kicked you out of bed last night."

She gave an embarrassed laugh, "Um, no. No, you did not kick me out. If anything, you wouldn't let me _out_ of bed." Charley felt her face flush as she remembered opening her eyes and squinting against the pale light from her window. She had tried to sit up, but found that she'd gotten tangled up with Throttle during the night. Her legs had wrapped around his, and she'd been laying half on top of him. The problem hadn't been the position she was in, but the fact that she was comfortable in it. She liked it, even.

The human had taken that unguarded moment to really look at his face. Throttle's face had looked almost naked without his black-framed specs, and it made him look younger, less intense. She could see the start of fine lines around his eyes, even thru the suede-short fur around his eyelids. His muzzle was slightly longer than a human nose, but not by much. If you were to use human terms, it was as if his nose and chin were attached, and not far out at all. His muzzle was different, but not disturbing or strange at all to her. He might not have a classic handsomeness by Earth standards, but any girl could appreciate the nobility in his features.

Charley was startled to realize that the fur on the sides of his jaw, his cheeks, and chin were longer than the rest, just like a human beard. She wondered if he trimmed it in the mornings. She wondered what his voice would sound like when he woke up. It was always a smoky, low voice that tended to make her insides tingle, but when he woke up, would it be lower, sexier even?

That thought had given off warning bells. _Thou shalt not be getting ideas about the bedroom voices of your friends! _Staying where she was seemed like a bad plan, but apparently Throttle had other ideas. His arms had stayed firmly wrapped around her, his tail coiled around her waist and hips. The mouse had almost refused to let her go; only a slow gradual crawl got her away from him.

And it had taken a very, very cold shower to chase the memory of the feel of his body against hers out of her mind for a while.

He went slightly pale under his fur. "So we did sleep together last night?"

"And that was all we did, sleep," she said firmly. "Although you did prove one thing."

"What's that?"

"You are a _total_ cover-hog."

He found himself laughing at her words as she went back to cooking. A moment later, it was her turn to frown in concern. "Hey, Throttle?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to ask you last night, but I didn't get the chance." Her voice grew hesitant, not wanting to bring up any bad memories he may have. "Do you not like birthdays?"

He smiled. "I take it you don't remember Vinnie's party three months ago?"

She laughed. "No, no, I remember. I can't believe Chicago is still standing after that mess you all got into."

"Just three mice out to have a good time," he said.

"God help us all," she joked. The mechanic gave him a wondering look. "But last night, it just looked like you were-I'd almost say embarrassed. Did you not want a party? I'm sorry if"-

"No, Charley-girl, it wasn't that, its just"-he paused, thinking to himself. She set a plate of hot pancakes in front of him and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. He seemed to be having an internal debate about something. He would get like this whenever he talked about something personal, and she knew to be patient. He would talk when he was ready.

He reached a decision. _Might as well tell her. Gods, please don't let this be what pushes her away. _The Martian took a shuddering breath and began to talk. "When I was little, before the war, I lived right outside of town with my mom. I didn't get to play with other kids. We weren't all that social," he said, his voice going softer. "More like, no one was all that social with us. It was just me and my mom growing up. My mom didn't know who my father was."

She frowned in confusion at his phrasing before it hit her.

His mother had-

"She was raped. They never caught the guy who did it either. All they had was a quick picture taken from some other crime scene." He looked away, unable to meet her eyes as he spoke. "I'm told the resemblance is pretty startling, even back when I was small. No one would let their kids near me. And no one in my mother's clan wanted to admit I was related to them. Bad seed, they said. My mom was the only one who would stand up for me.

"So I never really celebrated my birthday. Mom did her best to do something special every time, but I never had any friends over. After she was killed, it didn't matter to me anymore. Not much mattered to me at all then."

Something within the tan mouse broke, and the memories came flooding to the front of his mind. The words poured out of him, a hot, bitter wash of pain. "No one would help me, one look and they would chase me out. Everyone knew about my father, it was like some freaking tattoo on my forehead. I tried to go to my clan, but they just ignored me, no matter how much I pleaded for help. The only person who took me in was Stoker, a perfect stranger. My own clan abandoned me. He was more a father to me than anyone, but even that wasn't enough for the other fighters. I had to fight with every last one of them, to prove I was worth anything at all.

"And when the war hit full out, when the cities were burning and everything was being stolen or destroyed, I find out that my entire clan is dead and gone, and I'm the heir now. I'm supposed to rebuild the family, but how the hell am I supposed to do that? No girl on Mars would look at me twice except Carbine. No decent clan wanted the son of a rapist near their daughters. She was the only one that ever really gave me a chance and it turns out I wasn't good enough for her either"-He caught himself with a gasp, stunned: he hadn't meant to say so much. His face blushed in embarrassment.

_Someone kill me now...She does not need to hear my pathetic life story._ "I, um-I'm sorry, Charley. I shouldn't have said all of that." He shot a nervous glance over to her. Would she think differently of him now? "I should probably go-"

A tiny sniff made him turn to face her. Her bangs had fallen across her face, hiding her eyes but not the tears that silently coursed down her cheeks. Throttle stared in shock. She was...crying for him?

She reached over and took his hand in hers, sniffing hard to force back the sob that threatened to spill out. "Throttle, I...you amaze me. How in the world can you be so strong?"

The Martian blinked in shock. Strong? After that self-made pity party, she still thought he was strong?

She pulled his hand up to her face so that it cupped her cheek and she leaned into it with a soft kiss to his palm. "Thank you, for trusting me enough to tell me all of that. I wish I knew what to say to help make it hurt less, I wish to God I could take some of that pain from you." She was completely sincere in her wish. Her friends had suffered so much just from the war, from the Plutarkians that had destroyed nearly everything. But to hear that his clan had abandoned him, when he'd needed them the most? "I'm sorry that I can't do more."

She gasped silently as he suddenly pulled her from her seat into his arms, almost crushing her in his embrace. The Terran wrapped her arms around him in return, holding him tight. Throttle didn't know what to say. She knew everything and still was so kind to him, still accepted him. He was so lucky to have such a friend. His voice was thick with emotion as he spoke. "You're here with me now. That's all I could want from you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After that day, Charley and Throttle were closer than ever. They no longer hesitated to sit by each other close enough to touch, or even to lay right on each other during movie nights. They could talk about anything, no matter how trivial or serious. It was a first for both of them: he'd never talked like this with a girl, or she with a guy. He had told her about things he'd never told his bros. As for her, she considered him her absolute best friend. It was an easy sort of camaraderie they had now, although anyone that looked at them would think it was something more.

In Vinnie and Modo's eyes, this couldn't be better. Their bro was finally back to normal: hell, he was better off than when he'd first started dating Carbine. Or the 'Martian she-harpy' as Vinnie put it. The two had been keeping tabs on Throttle for a worried Stoker, and were more than pleased to tell the older mouse that he no longer had anything to worry about . Stoker had been overjoyed that Throttle and Charley were getting along so well. (Of course, it left the older mouse to wonder if things between the two would develop to something more, and he dearly hoped it would be so. He liked that Terran girl, and thought she would be good for the tan mouse.)

Once news had spread on the Martian base, (no one dared say a word to the oddly moody general), betting had started in earnest about the new relationship. Mostly about how long it would take to either crash and burn, or turn to something serious. Some were even betting on when the first kid would be born! Modo had been pretty ticked off at that news, worried that they might somehow jinx it. Vinnie had shrugged it off, saying that it was a sad state of affairs when the only source of entertainment for an entire Martian base was over 13 million miles away. (It turned out that most of the base treated it like long distance soap opera, with weekly updates from Stoker.)

A sense of peace, surreal as that sounded, came to the garage. Throttle was back to his whipping-tail-and-taking-names' self, Vinnie and Modo could have some real fun again with their bro, and Charley...she was happier than she could remember being in a long time.

Things could have stayed like the normal status quo, but that's not how life in Chi-town goes...

It was the newest James Bomb movie, one they'd been itching to see for three months. It was finally on video, and Charley had gotten all their favorite foods for a full-out sleep over. But the mice's eyes kept straying to the clock, unable to watch the film in peace. She had answered a call for a broken down semi truck out on Hwy 62, nothing out of the ordinary. But that had been over three hours ago. It never took her longer than one hour to fix anything on a run, and if it was more than she could handle with light tools, she would have towed it in by now.

She was late. It wasn't like her not to call and let them know she was okay. After all the times she'd been kidnapped, it was standard procedure now for her to let them know that they didnt' need to go rescue her. So what was keeping her now?

Throttle glanced over at the clock again, fidgeting. Modo and Vinnie glanced at each other at the sight of it. Their bro never _fidgeted._ "Think he's starting to _like _her-like her?" Vinnie whispered to his grey friend.

"Bro, he's _always _liked her-liked her, even when she was going out with you," Modo answered.

The tan mouse couldn't wait anymore and finally got up.

"You gonna go check on her?" Modo asked.

"I'll try and get her on the radio first," he answered. "If I don't get an answer, I'll head out to get her"-a rumble of the garage doors opening made all three mice smile with relief. "About time," Vinnie grumbled good-naturedly. "Now can we please watch the movie?"

"Rewind the thing so Charley can watch it with us," Throttle said as he headed out of their sight to go greet their friend. "She hasn't seen it ei-..." His voice simply died away. His boots pounded against the concrete floor of the garage and suddenly stopped. There was an odd silence for a few minutes that the other mice didn't like, followed by a muffled sound. Modo flicked the movie off and got up, Vinnie following, both apprehensive about the quiet. They went out to the shop, glancing around when they didn't see their bro. "Throttle?" Modo called.

A soft crooning caught the attention of their sensitive ears. They followed it over to the side of the tow truck, gasping at the sight that met their eyes. Throttle was gently rocking a silently sobbing Charley in his arms. Her clothes were torn and muddy, bloody scratches showing through the rips. Her knuckles were bloody as well, probably from fighting. Charley had been attacked.

Seeing his bros, the mouse slowly stood, cradling the crying girl close to his chest. She tucked her head into his shoulder to hide her face, unable to stop the broken whimper that came when he placed pressure on her side. "Sorry, babe," he said apologetically to her. "Just a little further to the bathroom so we can get you cleaned up, okay, Charley-girl? Just a little further."

"What happened?" Vinnie said in shock.

"She won't talk yet," Throttle said. "Modo, get the first aid kit and meet me in the upstairs bathroom. Vinnie, get me a change of clothes for her and that metal chair from the downstairs shower stall, I think she's twisted her ankle." They scattered to do as he said as the tan mouse carefully walked her up the stairs. She was trembling, crying tiny muffled sobs, and he could not stand hearing her like that. "Charley?" he said softly. "Charley, its alright now. You're safe."

"I-(sniff)-I know," her voice quavered a second before she took a shuddering breath, steadying her nerves._ Stop being a wuss! For god's sake, woman, you're embarrassing the human race acting like this_. "I know I'm safe here. I just-I really wasn't expecting something like this, you know?" Tears kept spilling over her cheeks, soaking into his fur. He reached the bathroom, setting her down as gently as he could. She rested her back against the wall, unable to sit up properly. Her ribs hurt too much for that. He moved to get a cloth to help clean her face, but a tug at his hand made him pause and look back. She was still holding his hand.

Charley saw that she was holding him back and immediately let go, an embarrassed flush coming on her face as she awkwardly wiped away the tears. "I'm sorry, I-I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to fall apart on you like that."

The Martian had a good idea of what exactly 'came over' her, and his tail writhed and knotted in agitation at the very thought of it. But he shoved down his anger and smiled for her, using his tail to get the cloth from the cabinet as he cupped the uninjured side of her face. "There's no shame in wanting your friends with you after a fight. Believe me, we know all about that."

She found a smile in return as the other mice came in. The small room got distinctly crowded as they set out the supplies, and just as quickly cleared out again as she got into the shower to clean off. She was incredibly grateful for the seat, as her injured ankle couldn't support her weight for long. As soon as she dried off and changed clothes, the mice filed back in. Vinnie moved to sit on the edge of the tub, Throttle up on the sink as Modo kneeled in front of her to clean and treat her injuries. "Okay, Charley-girl, I know this'll sting, but we gotta get you disinfected," the grey Mouse said kindly.

"Okay," she said softly, holding tighter to Throttle's hand as she braced herself. The grey mouse brushed aside the hair that covered the side of her face, wincing as he saw the red and blue staining the swollen flesh around her right eye. He tried to be as gentle as possible as he rubbed alcohol on the numerous cuts and scratches on her arms and hands. "Oh, Charley-girl. What happened to you?"

She looked down. "When I got out to the semi, the guy was waiting for me. I checked out the engine, it had a few slipped belts and a cracked gear, nothing I couldn't get in a few minutes. I started working on it, just making polite conversation with the guy when he"-she swallowed hard-"yanked me up by my _hair_, that rotten bastard, and threw me on the ground. He tried to pin me down, I kicked him where it counts and got away from him. I got halfway back in the cab of my truck and he slammed the door on me."

"He did what?" Vinnie said in shock.

"He's gonna pay for that, Charley, we promise," Throttle said, his voice choked with anger. That bastard could have crushed her hand, broken her arm, or even have smashed her face in with a move like that. The very thought of someone laying hands on Charley made his blood boil. But he determinedly forced that anger back down: she needed him to be calm and listen, not to go charging out to avenge her. "Nobody hurts our girl and gets away with it."

"You bet we'll get him, Charley," Modo said, red light glinting from his eye. The grey mouse's voice gentled as he went on. "Show me where he hit you, we'll get you patched up."

"I was halfway in the truck, so it got me at the waist." She winced as she tried to straighten up so that Modo could test out her ribs for breaks. He and the others blushed the entire time, as she had to pull her shirt up near her breasts to do it.

He gently tested her ribs, feeling for breaks or cracks and thankfully finding none. "Not broken," he said, "just bruised. But you're gonna turn every color there is in a few days. I'll help you wrap it up."

"Oh yay," she said in mild sarcasm as she raised her arms to give him room to reach around her.

"What else happened?" Vinnie asked, an intense look on his face. Throttle knew what that look was for. Vinnie was mentally piling up all the reasons that he would use to justify beating the living daylights out of the bastard. And the tan mouse was seriously debating whether he should stop his bro or not.

Charley could sense her friends' growing desire for revenge and decided to wrap this up quickly. "The door impact dazed me a bit and he pulled me back out of the truck, but not before I got ahold of my Louisville Slugger. He punched me and I swung at him." She grinned. "And I got him right where it hurts."

"That's my girl," Throttle said with a smile.

"Did ya get a good look at him?" Vinnie asked eagerly.

She nodded, giving a detailed description. "He decided I wasn't worth the trouble and got back in his truck. I got his plates and registration." Vinnie and Modo exchanged looks. With that much info, it wouldn't take long to track the bastard down.

"Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Throttle asked, squeezing her hand to let her know he wasn't scolding her. "Not to disrespect Modo's skills, but wouldn't a hospital be your first choice?"

She shook her head. "I know I should have called the cops, but-I just wanted to come home. I'll call it in later, I promise, but can't I just rest for now?"

He nodded. "You've had a bad day, Charley-girl. There anything we can get you?"

Charley smiled. "Popcorn, a cream soda, and the good spot on the couch."

"You got it, babe," Throttle said. He helped her stand, taking her weight so she wouldn't strain her ankle.

"Aw, not the good spot-ow!" Vinnie winced as Modo's tail smacked him upside the head. "I was joking!"

Soon, she was set up on the couch with a blanket, some painkillers, a cream soda, fresh popcorn, and the movie rewound and ready to go. She was a bit surprised at all the pampering. "Good lord, if I'd known you'd treat me like this, I might consider doing this again."

"No," Throttle said with surprising force. It seemed to surprise him too, as he quickly apologized. "Sorry, I just don't ever want to see you hurt like this again."

"You won't if I have any say in it," she said. The girl motioned him to sit beside her, leaning into his shoulder as he adjusted around her. She frowned, abashed, "I didn't mean to ruin your night like this."

"You didn't ruin anything," he said, regret staining his voice as he spoke. "I'm sorry we weren't there for you when you needed us."

She saw the guilty look on his face, knowing that he would blame himself for her wounds. "Throttle, you can't be with me all the time," she said softly, touching his jaw with her fingertips. "This wasn't your fault."

"Logically, that makes perfect sense, and I know that its true," he said. He leaned his head against hers. "So why is it so hard to believe?" He glanced back at her, suddenly seeing how close their faces were. If he leaned in, even a little...

...he'd be kissing her...

"Are we interrupting something?" Vinnie said, a slightly lecherous smile on his face as he and Modo entered the room, helmets in hand.

"No," Throttle said, sitting up straight. "You two heading out?"

"Oh, just for some fresh air," Modo said.

"Yeah," Vinnie agreed. "Can't get enough of that air." He shot Modo a look. "We'll just be out for a couple of hours, put in a late patrol, you know?"

Throttle nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what his bros were going to go do, and they had his blessing. He wished he was going out there with them, as pounding that rotten jerk's face in would certainly make him feel better. But as he looked down at where Charley's head rested against his shoulder, he knew that he was needed here with her more.

"Don't wait up for us!" Modo said cheerfully, the bikes answering to their riders' call and revving to life. The two mice eagerly sped out into the night, ready to go hunting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Throttle and Charley spent the night curled on the couch together. When the James Bomb movie ended, the tan mouse looked down to see the human girl peacefully sleeping against his chest. He didn't have the heart to move her, and so he got comfortable and slept beside her. He woke up several hours later to the sound of the communicator going off. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed it was six in the morning. He groaned at the sight, moved to get up, and found that he couldn't, as he and Charley were thoroughly wrapped around each other.

She had turned in the night and now lay on his chest, their arms circled each others waists, and damned if his tail wasn't around her leg! The mouse blushed at their position. But it was the look on her face that really got to him. Her pale features were relaxed and peaceful, auburn lashes on her cheeks, and the soft smile on her lips as she rubbed her cheek against his chest- The communicator went off again. The Martian tried to move her to the side, and blushed red when she nuzzled under his jaw, her arms pulling tighter around his waist. "Don't go, keep me warm," she murmured in sleep.

He swallowed hard, shoving the very not-innocent thoughts her words conjured up out of his mind. He quickly got untangled and tucked the blanket back around Charley, heading over to answer. "Shades here, what's up bros?"

"'Bout time you answered, mouse!" Modo said.

"Hey, now, if he was a little _busy_, we probably shouldn't have interrupted," Vinnie said gleefully from beside his bro on the road.

Throttle rolled his eyes. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Vincent. We were sleeping."

"_Together?" _The white mouse asked suggestively.

Throttle's voice edged with annoyance now. "Was there a reason you called at six in the morning?"

Modo decided to save his bro and answered the question. "Just callin' to let you know, we had a good run last nig"-he broke off nervously. He figured their girl wouldn't really approve of outright bounty-hunting for her sake. "Um, Charley's not up, is she?"

"No, still sleeping."

"Good, she needs all the rest she can get. Be sure she takes her pain meds; you know how she is about that sort of thing."

Throttle couldn't keep the smile out of his voice. "You know I will. Now, about that run last night?"

"Oh yeah, the slime-wad has been scrapped off Snowball's shoes"-

"_Don't call me Snowball!_" Vinnie almost screeched in indignation.

-"and tossed to Chicago's finest jail cell," the grey mouse finished proudly. "But me and"-

_"Don't you say it!"_

-"me and my bro here are pretty beat so we're headed back to the 'board for some shut-eye. Give a holler if you need us."

"You got it bro. And thanks for taking care of that for her," Throttle said. "I don't want her worrying any more than she already does."

"Aw, it weren't nothin'," the mouse said. "Later bro!"

"Later." Throttle put the communicator back up and headed back to the couch. He paused a minute, debating whether he should get back in with her or take her up to the bedroom and head back to the board himself.

Charley stirred, the lack of his warmth waking her. "Mmm. Throttle?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you, Charley-girl," he said, kneeling down beside her. She looked at him owlishly, blinking like she couldn't quite believe he was awake. "Why're you up?"

"Just took a call," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Oh. Okay." She made to sit up, wincing as her many bruises protested. He reached out to help, grabbing the aspirin from the coffee table and getting a drink of water from the kitchen. She smiled tiredly as she reached to take the pills, "You know, someday you'll make someone a great wife."

"Oh, shut up," he laughed. "You don't have to get up yet you know, its Sunday."

"Sunday?" The one and only day she took off from the garage.

"Sunday."

"Oh. Then why are you up?" She said with a sleepy frown. He smiled. Pain killers, no matter how little or how much, made Charley loopy. "I just got a call, but I'm going back to sleep in a minute. You want me to take you upstairs? You'd probably be more comfortable."

"Are you coming with me?"

"I'll take you upstairs," he said, a slight frown of confusion on his face.

"No, dummy," she scolded, "I mean, are you gonna sleep with me again?" He couldn't help his consternation at the question. "You want me to sleep with you?" he asked.

She looked genuinely upset. "You don't want to sleep with me?"

"No-yes-I mean, I'd be fine sleeping by you, Charley," he blushed as he answered. _Now that was a verbal minefield._

"Okay. Lets go then." She stood, nearly falling down at the pain in her ankle. "Owww!"

He shook his head, scooping her up into his arms. She giggled like a girl, tucking her face into his shoulder as he went up the stairs. Throttle resigned himself, smiling at the human in his arms. "You know, I don't think its right how often we end up sleeping together."

"Yeah," she said sleepily. "And nothing ever happens. Its enough to really frustrate a girl."

He almost dropped her. "_What_? Charley? What did you say?"

The Martian didn't get an answer, as she had fallen completely asleep. He shook his head. He must have been hearing things. He put her to bed, and with some hesitation, crawled in beside her. He laid on his side, staring at her. Throttle absently ran his fingers though her alburn hair as she slept. She really was a beautiful person. He wondered how Vinnie ever let a girl like her go. If it was him, he'd have never given up on making it work with Charley-

Throttle froze for a solid minute as realization washed over him. His eyes went wide as he suddenly understood. He would have kept trying because he already loved her._ I'm in love with Charley. But, what about Carbine? _He tried to pull up feelings for the lady general, but found only a small ache where there had once been a terrible pain. There was nostalgia, and sorrow, and even regret. But there wasn't any hurt anymore.

But when he thought about Charley...he felt peace when they were just hanging out, happiness when they raced or worked together, laughter when they told stories or joked around, stubborn frustration and reluctant admiration at their arguments, and a playful rivalry when they were making plans...a flare of desire when she bent over to work at a car's engine, a hot wash pleasure when she hugged his arm or kissed his cheek, possessive anger when he saw any other male checking her out..._Mother of Mars...I'm in love. I'm really in love with Charley. _

_Now for the kicker. Does she feel the same? _He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep from thinking about that question.

* * *

When Charley woke up, she was in the bed alone. She frowned to herself. She distinctly remembered Throttle getting in with her-she blushed red like a fire engine. Oh god. She had actually told him to get in bed with her. Would the embarrassment never end?

The girl gingerly got up, throwing on a pair of jeans, socks, and a green tank top. Pulling out a pair of crutches she'd originally got when she was 17 years old from the closet, she headed down the stairs very carefully. She laughed out-loud when she reached the kitchen. "Now this is role-reversal!"

Throttle whirled around, desperately trying to hide the huge mess. Bits of eggs that he'd tried to crack without shattering littered the counter, flour was everywhere, bowls and spoons were scattered all over. He attempted to say something-anything-and failed miserably. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, Charley was laughing too hard to hear him. He huffed a bit, "I don't laugh when you cook."

"I'm sorry. (haha) It's not that." She pointed at his head. "You have flour all over your ears. You look like Vinnie!"

"Alright, them's fightin' words." He jumped at her, going to her sides and tickling her. She tried to smack him off, but was laughing too hard. She squirmed, trying to get out of his range, and suddenly tripped over her crutches. He tried to catch her and caught a crutch behind his knee, falling beside her. Both were laughing now, trying to pick themselves up. "This is pathetic," he finally got out. "Hold still and I'll help you up."

"Okay, oh ow, ow, ow!"

"What's wrong?"

"Bruised hip," she said, wincing. He got them sorted out and lifted her up, placing her on a nearby bar stool. Despite the mess, he had successfully made scrambled eggs, bacon, and only slightly burned the biscuits. She applauded his efforts and later helped him clean up. She noted that he looked a little lost after they were finished, so she asked what his plan were for the day.

"Actually, I don't have anything to do today. The Tower's down and my bros are sleeping at the board. It should be pretty quiet today."

"They're still sleeping? Were they up late tracking that guy down?"

"Unitl six in the morning"-he paused. "You know about that?"

"I know you guys would never stand for somebody hurting me and not paying for it," she said. "Its just not in your nature. So is he in jail, or did Vinnie get creative?"

"No, Modo remembered the last time Vinnie got creative and stopped him from using the paintball guns. The slime ball's with Chicago's finest, in a lovely small room with the most beautiful view," he said in gleeful sarcasm.

Charley laughed, "So I guess that leaves you at loose ends." She thought a minute. "Hey, you know that new comic hero movie that just came out? How about we catch the matinee? It should be pretty deserted on a Sunday, so you could take your helmet off."

"Sounds great," he smiled. "Its ten thirty now, so how about we cruise the town until show time?"

"Really?" she said excitedly. "I'd love to! I can never get enough of riding a Martian bike."

"Someday we'll get you the parts so you can make your own," he said. "Then you can stop drooling over ours."

"Oh don't tease me like that," she said, hobbling on her crutches for the stairs so she could get dressed properly. "That would be the greatest gift ever."

* * *

They rode all over the city; through the subdivisions, the park, the iron works factory. She pointed out some of the local historic sites, like the home of Al Capone and the old moonshiners' run. Throttle was surprised that this city had such an interesting history. He told her about some of the old places in his hometown and the capital city of Mars, Brimstone. She listened with absolute fascination to his stories. (Well, it wasn't just the stories that got to her. It was a guilty pleasure of hers, to listen to him talk. Hell, he could make 'pass the salt' sound seductive with that husky voice of his.)

They were having so much fun they almost missed the movie, barely making it for showtime. To their surprise, it was a double feature on Sundays, the new action flick paired with an old black and white classic. This time it was Casablanca, to Charley's delight. The mouse gave her a look of horror when he found out it was a classic romance. She got him to stay and watch with the promise that it had some of the best one-liners in the history of film. At the end of the movie, he had to agree with her. Some of that stuff had been priceless. How they got by with just a PG-13 rating, he never knew.

It was six in the afternoon and they hadn't eaten for hours, so Throttle suggested Chef Andy's for dinner. The dinner rush was just clearing out when they pulled up, only a few regulars remaining as the two walked in. Well, Throttle walked, and Charley made do on her trusty crutches.

"Throttle, Charley-girl, good to see you," Andy smiled. His look turned to concern when she pulled off her helmet and he saw the ugly shiner on her face. "Oh sweetheart, what happened to you? Baby-girl, you sit right here," he shooed both of them to the best booth in the store. "You need anything? An ice pack, a bandage, some aspirin?"

"No, Andy, its nothing, I'm fine," she said, unused to so much fussing over her.

The chef shot Throttle a look. "She'll take the aspirin, just half a pill," the mouse said. He then told the man the short version of what happened, and that the bastard was now behind bars. Andy smiled in approval. "Good. If he was still out on the streets I would have shot him myself. Nobody messes with my girl, here."

Charley looked at the older man with soft surprise. "Andy?"

He blustered a bit at her look. "What? You're a good girl, sweeter and kinder than anybody else I know. If I was a younger man, I'd court you myself. But since I'm not, I'll settle for being that annoying uncle you always wanted."

She smiled in genuine affection. "You'd never be annoying, Andy. Uncle Andy," she paused, testing out the words. "I like that."

"So do I, honey-girl, so do I," the old man replied. He then took their orders, waving off the money Charley offered. He brought back fresh hoagies, hot french fries, and two ice cold root beers. And half an aspirin, just like Throttle asked. As he set out the food, he watched the Martian and the Terran talking together. Throttle was taking care of Charlene, in little ways. He tucked the crutches out of the way for her, put out the napkins and even got the straw for her root beer, all without her asking. Charley had already pulled out the pepper and ketchup for Throttle's fries, just how he liked it, without his asking. They were sitting close beside each other, laughing and smiling like he'd never seen before. They looked very much like-"I'm so happy you two finally decided to start dating. Not that you and Vinnie weren't good together," he said to the startled girl, "but he wasn't the right one for you. Now this boy here, he'll do right by you."

"Wha..." Both mouse and girl were stunned almost speechless. The mouse blinked in surprise. Why would Andy consider them to be dating? Did they really look like a couple?

He mentally ran over all his reactions to the lovely human, from the moment he could honestly say he'd got over Carbine. The tan mouse remembered all the times they'd been together, talking and laughing...and realized that he'd been actively trying to make her like him. He'd obviously lost his mind, as there was no hope of that happening at all. She liked him as a friend, nothing more. Knowing it was hopeless didn't stop him from hoping though. There wasn't a single second of the day when he wasn't thinking about her. But the honor of the lady demanded he speak, so Throttle tried to set the man straight. "Um, Andy, we're"-he looked over to the surprised Charley-"we're not"-

"Don't worry, I won't say anything to your friends if you don't want them to know just yet," the older man said with a conspirator's wink. "But I know they'll both be glad for you. Don't let me interrupt your date!" He backed off with a cheerful wave, heading back to the counter to get another order ready.

"Date?" Charley said weakly. She wanted those words to be true, oh god, how she wanted that. But she was honestly scared that Throttle wouldn't want her that way, that he just saw her as a friend.

"He thinks we're on a date. With each other," Throttle said quietly. _If it was that easy to ask her out, I'd have done it months ago! _

She found herself blushing slightly, and looked away from him. She gathered her courage and hoped the timing wasn't off for this question. It might be too soon since Carbine. "Throttle? Would it be a _bad_ thing if we were on a date?"

Throttle didn't dare get his hopes up yet. He slowly turned towards her, an unreadable look on his face. "What do you mean?"

She looked him in the eyes, "If you don't want to, I won't say another word about it. But could we call this a date? I've never had so much fun with a guy before. I've never connected with anybody the way I have with you. But," she swallowed hard, "I want more. If you say no, I swear I won't say anything to the guys"-she was stopped by his hand on her cheek, his fingers sliding back to run through her hair. She couldn't make out the look on his face to try and read his reaction. "Throttle?"

"Do you mean it?" he asked quietly. "You want to be with me?"

"Yes," she said.

"As my girlfriend?"

"Yes," she said, softer now.

It was his turn to swallow hard. His heart pounded wildly. "If we do this, and it doesn't work out, how can we get past that? I don't want to lose you as a friend."

"I don't want to lose you either," she said. "But I know that if I don't try and act on what I feel, I will regret it. And I don't want to live with regrets. So," she put a hand over his, still wrapped in her hair, "can we try?"

He looked down. Uncertainty reared its ugly head. He'd completely screwed up with Carbine, and he had no idea how. What if he screwed up with Charley? "I'll make mistakes"-

"So will I"-

-"and I'm not the best at being on time"-

"Neither am I"-

-"or remembering anniversaries"-

"They're over-rated"-

"I don't think I know how to be a good boyfriend"-he was stopped by her hand gently touching his helmet in mimicry of his hand on her face.

"Throttle, I have no doubt that you'd be a great boyfriend. And," she blushed, "I really don't have much experience to go on. I'll make mistakes, and there might be times that I'll get so mad at you, or you at me. We'll fight and be stubborn and hardly see each other sometimes. And there'll be times when we're together, just sitting together, and we'll look at each other and think that we are so lucky to be with someone that cares about us."

He reached up and cupped her hand against his helmet. His eyes closed against the hope that was fighting with the memories of old pain and sorrow. He'd learned a lot in his 25 years of life, but the most important lesson was the most painful. To love someone was a huge risk. He'd never thought before that love could be dangerous, or painful, but he knew now that in giving love to another, you also gave them control of your heart. He had given Carbine his love, and suffered for it. He almost didn't dare love someone else for fear of being hurt again.

Something else he learned was that you can't choose who you love, you couldn't' even stop it once the feeling started to grow. And he knew this, because he had fallen in love with Charley, though he'd subconsciously fought against it from the beginning. After Carbine, the Martian had promised himself he wouldn't open up to that pain again. All his life, he had thought that Carbine was his true mate, and that he could never feel anything stronger than the love he'd felt for her.

He couldn't have been more wrong. Loving Charley was like being set on fire from the inside, it burned within him, a constant source of warmth that only grew hotter with every passing day. It was scarier than facing all the Plutarkian forces naked and unarmed, but he never was a mouse to back down. He swallowed hard. "You really want me, Charley-girl?"

"Yes. Do you want me?"

"You bet I want you"-he blushed a bit at his own double meaning. Charley was a very pretty female, after all. He had wanted her from the moment he first laid eyes on her.

"So this is our first date?" she said, unable to disguise the hope in her voice.

"Yes," he said, no small bit of hope in his voice too. "Our first dinner-and-a-movie date."

She held up her root beer in a toast. "May it be the first of many."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM

Okay, this chapter is split into two parts, one is the first half and fairly PG. The other half is NC-17, and LEMON! (Lemon: _n_, a term used in fanfiction writing to denote sexually explicit content.) This way, you can still enjoy the main-line stuff, and choose whether or not you want to read the lemon along with it. Hope you enjoy.

Again, I stress, the next chapter is completely O P I T I O N A L!

Chapter 6: part 1

Several dates later, Charley was starting to feel a little frustrated. Don't get her wrong; Throttle was everything she had ever wanted in a boyfriend. Gentle, great sense of humor, sweet, exciting, considerate, fun...(The fact that you could tattoo 'Hot Stuff' on his arm and have it be a totally accurate description of him had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. ;-) But there was one thing that was really starting to bother her.

He hadn't once tried to make a move on her. Now, she realized that he really wasn't a PDA kind of guy, but to only hold hands with her? He would only put an arm around her when they were at home on the couch, not even in the movie theater. It was worrying her. Vinnie'd had no problems with trying to lip-lock or being touchy-feely, (a little too much so, in her opinion), so it didn't seem to be a Martian custom violation. Maybe he didn't real feel the same way she did and was just humoring her with this going out? No. Absolutely not. Throttle would never play games with her like that; he would come right out and be honest with her. So then, why the hesitation? Was she sending the wrong signals to him?

They were now riding home from the movies, another trilogy film that they had wanted to see and a classic black and white, The Maltese Falcon. Both had a great time, and the ride home seemed like the perfect end to the night. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and his tail was coiled around hers. She laid her head against his shoulders, unable to get enough of his scent. She loosened her jacket a bit as they rode. The night had grown unusually warm, thick grey clouds smearing across the sky.

They rolled up to the garage doors. He slowed to a stop, the bike idling as she dismounted. Charley pulled off her helmet, smiling at him. "I had a great time tonight."

"Me too," he said softly. He smirked at her, "Two comic hero movies in a row. I'll have you geek-ing out in no time."

"Never!" She cried dramatically, unable to stop her laughter. "You'll never convert me to your evil ways!"

"I'll get you my pretty. And your little bike too," he cackled in imitation of the Wicked Witch. He loved how she brought out a lighter side of himself that he never known existed. He could joke with her like he never had with any other girl. He knew he would never need to defend any part of his heart from her. "So I'll see you tomorrow"-

KRA-KOOM! The sky seemed to split open, rain pounding down hard as lightning began to flash. Both cried out at the shockingly cold water and Charley quickly got out her garage remote to make the doors open. Throttle drove his bike in, both of them peeling off their jackets to shake the water off. Throttle grabbed a clean shop rag to dry off his beloved bike. Charley smiled at the sight, turning and heading for the kitchen. "I'll get some towels for us mere mortals too."

"Hey, have to make sure she doesn't rust," the mouse said.

"I know, but don't forget to take care of yourself too. Your bike wouldn't be very happy if you got sick from this."

He gave her a slightly incredulous look. "I think I'll survive cold water. It'll be real hard, but I'll try my best."

She smirked at him. "Smart-alek. I'll make us something hot to drink."

"Thanks, babe." He glanced up to watch her walk away. She might not have a tail, but the sweet sway of her hips could hypnotize any mouse. _And she asked to go out with me, even after she found out about my past. How'd I get so lucky?_ But he was starting to get frustrated. He was trying to give her time to recover from the attack. He knew that there had been more to it than she had said. The last thing he wanted while kissing her was for her to be reminded of that creep and freak out. And while he had a pretty good theory, he still wasn't quite sure how this worked with human women. Was this too soon to kiss? Did she want to kiss him?

A soft whistle caught his attention from his thoughts. She held out a towel and a cup of hot chocolate that he accepted gratefully. "Thanks. Sorry to drip all over the place."

"Don't be ridiculous, I don't mind. Think of it as really cheap mopping," she said.

"So glad I could be of assistance," he said in laughing sarcasm. "As soon as I dry off I'll get out of your hair"-

"No way! I'm not going to let you ride out with the weather like this. I know, I know," she replied to his raised eyebrow, "you guys have driven through much worse. But that was always because you didn't have a choice. Now you do."

"And who could object to staying over at their girl's?" he said. He found himself smiling at those words as he pulled off his helmet. His Charley-girl. The mouse liked the sound of that.

"Exactly," she said, unable to stop a light blush on her cheeks. "So are you coming upstairs, or"-

"I'll stay on the couch," he said quickly. "I wouldn't want to bother you."

She blinked in confusion. "Bother me? Throttle, we've slept together more than I did with my ex-fiancé. I don't think it would bother me at all." She caught a look at his expression and she finally understood. "Is that why you haven't kissed me? You didn't want to _bother_ me?"

He sent her a look. "You just got attacked by a guy that tried to rape you"-

She paled at his words, "I never said that"-

"You were crying," he said, not unkindly. "You've been kidnapped, shot at, almost blown up, and nearly died dozens of times, and you never once reacted like you did that day. Only something truly horrible could make you cry." He cupped her pale cheek in one hand, glad that the ugly black and purple bruising had finally healed. "Why didn't you tell us, Charley-girl?"

She bit her lip and wouldn't look him in the eyes. "I knew it would freak you guys out if I told you about that. You were mad enough as it was."

Throttle brushed her cheek with his thumb. "You can tell us when you're hurt. We won't think less of you or think it was your fault." He caught the guilty flush on her face and couldn't keep the hurt from his voice. "You honestly thought that we would do something like that?"

"No! I know you would never think that! Its just-You wouldn't let me fight before getting attacked like that. Now whenever I leave the garage, one of you all seems to just happen to be going the same way." She shot him a look.

Throttle mentally winced. _Note to self: Charley's much better at finding trackers than we thought._ "I'm sorry Charley, but you scared the hell out of us." His voice went quiet at the memory. "You were shaking in my arms. I have never seen you like that before, and I never want to again. I-we all know that you can protect yourself. We _know_ that. But knowing and not worrying are two completely different things when it comes to someone you care about."

She walked forward into his arms, wrapping hers around him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, listening to the strong thrum of his heartbeat. "Now you know how I feel when you three go out to fight. Sucks, doesn't it?"

He stilled a moment as he absorbed her words. "Yeah, it does. How do you deal with it?"

"Just got to keep having faith in you. Its all I can do." She tilted her head back to look at him. "I know that creep's timing was bad, but believe me, I'm not having flashbacks about him. When I'm with you, its just you."

He smiled, leaning in closer to her. "So if I kissed you, you wouldn't mind?"

Charley felt a slight blush rising on her cheeks as she said, "I've wanted you to kiss me since our first date."

Throttle's voice dropped low. "Far be it from me to deny a lady." His mouth lowered and then gently pressed against hers, learning the new textures of her lips, tongue, teeth. He'd wanted this for so long, to hold her like this.


	7. Chapter 6 part 2

Chapter 6 part 2

The kiss grew deeper, hotter. She parted her lips further, welcoming him in. She stroked her tongue against his, learning his taste, his mouth, how to move against his buck teeth. He groaned softly, wrapping his arms around her, his tail coiling around her hips. He hadn't felt a kiss like this for a long time. It was already stirring up desires and wants he wasn't sure they were ready for yet. With great reluctance he broke the kiss, already breathing hard. "Whoa," he said quietly.

"Yeah," she said dazedly. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her soft puffs of breath tickling his fur. "That's a good kiss."

"Very good kiss," he said softly. _But is this what she wants? _He looked at her seriously, "Is this too much? Too fast?"

"No," she said. "If anything, I don't think it's enough. Please," she reached up to pull away his shades and looked into bionic red eyes that brimmed with emotion, "kiss me again."

"Oh, Charley-girl," his voice dropped even lower than normal as he cupped her face in his hands, brushing a finger across her lips. She caught the tip of it and kissed it. He felt a jolt of desire shoot through him, sharp and hot. Their mouths met again, and this time, it got completely out of control. He marveled that her lips were so soft; she loved the rough feeling of his tongue and the slight scrape of his buck teeth. She licked them and he gasped. "You like?" she asked, uncertain.

"Oh yeah," he said roughly. They kissed again, his hands sliding down from her jaw and neck to her arms, moving down to her sides and the hem of her shirt. Her hands weren't idle either, and she brushed them down from his shoulders along his strong arms, stroking the fur that felt like rough velvet. She brought them up to inside his vest, laying them on the hard muscles of his chest and shoulders. He started breathing hard as he felt her stroke his sides and chest. She gasped outright as he moved his kisses down her jaw and neck, nipping his teeth for a barely there bite on the rim of her ear.

She pulled herself closer to him, burying her hands in his fur as she explored his body. He moaned at the sensation, biting his lip to stifle the full out shout he'd nearly given. It may have been a long time since he was last with a female, but that was no excuse. Charley deserved the best from him.

All his thoughts scattered as she kissed him again, her hands rubbing his fur the wrong way as she explored. Throttle couldn't believe it felt so good. He'd been with girls from distant planets and none of them made him feel like Charley did. She gave little nips and kisses along his jaw as she went for the sensitive area of his neck.

He couldn't' stop the gasps and moans she evoked as the girl moved further up and nibbled the rim of his ear, brushing her fingers along the edge of the other. The mouse touched under her shirt now, sliding his hands along her sides and up to just below her bra. He cupped her breasts through the lacy material, making her arch back into his touch. "Too much?" he asked.

"Not enough," she repeated, and leaned back to take off her shirt. Throttle shrugged out of his vest and bandanna, tossing them along with his gloves by her shirt on the floor. She slowly reached for her bra and his hands gently caught hers. "Let me," he said. She nodded, letting him take the front clasp off and slide the bits of white lace from her body. She blushed red at his appreciative look, modesty making her hands come up to cover herself-

He caught them in his larger ones, gently pulling them away. "Don't hide from me, Charley-babe, please don't. You are so beautiful," he breathed, leaving her hands and cupping her breasts. They filled his palms, her nipples hard and flushed pink. Gods, her skin was so soft, and her scent! Sweet and light, like apple and mint and beginning to sweeten with her arousal. He wanted her scent to soak into him, to have her right here and now-he stopped the thought before it could go farther. Slow, he needed to take this slow for both their sakes. He couldn't stand it if he somehow managed to screw this up. He couldn't stand it if he hurt her somehow.

The girl softly moaned as he held her breasts, his hands unbelievably warm on her. When he leaned down and kissed each one, she couldn't help her soft cry of pleasure. His rough tongue licked her nipple and began to suck it, barely scraping his buck teeth on her skin. His hand aroused the other one, rolling and pinching the nipple before he switched, making her cry out again. She stroked his ears in return, feeling the soft fur and how they twitched at her touch.

His tail twitched and spasmed at the sounds she made, her soft moans and gasps and broken attempts at his name. Throttle couldn't help a surge of pure male pride that he could bring out this side of her, a side that only he was allowed to see. He felt a wave of possessiveness grow in him as this girl, his Charley-girl, nearly came apart from his touch. He pressed her lower body closer to him, tension growing as she shifted from where she sat to move into his lap, parting her legs to straddle him. His tail slid down her waist, the tip circling her navel and lower, under the clasp of her jeans. His tail went further in, under her panties and into her cleft, making him gasp at how wet she was there. She cried out sharply as she felt his tail curl under her, stroking places that hadn't been touched by anyone in so long.

Charley's cry of pleasure brought a bit of sanity back to his hormone-clogged brain. Throttle pulled back again, forcing his breathing to slow so he could think. This was too fast, he knew it was. He hadn't meant to take this so far, but she felt so good around him. He pulled his tail from her body and fought to ignore the moaning protest she gave for its absence. "Charlene?"

She had her eyes closed; her breathing was nothing but gasps and pants as she tried to clear her head. "Throttle?"

"Say the word, and this stops," he said, his body nearly shaking as he fought for control.

"Why does it have to stop?" she asked, opening her aqua-colored eyes to look at him. Her hand stroked the soft fur of his cheek as she spoke.

Throttle honestly thought for a moment that he would drown in those eyes like the sea. He closed his eyes against the sight of her, her lips bruised, hair falling over her shoulders, skin flushed, and the marks of his kisses staining her body like branding marks. Gods, he couldn't remember the last time he'd ever wanted someone so much. "This is too fast. I wanted this to be special for you, not just some rush on the couch."

"We don't have to go all the way yet if you don't want." But oh god, right then she wanted to more badly than she needed to breathe. "We can take our time. But I want to touch you, babe, please. I just want you, Throttle." His entire body shook with want as her soft voice panted in his ear. He lowered his head at her words, not wanting her to see the emotion that was on his face. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

"More than anything," she said, leaning forward to kiss his nose, cheek, even his eyes. She looked at him for a moment. "Do you not want this?"

"I do, Charley-girl, but..." His voice grew quiet as he spoke. "If we start this, and you change your mind, baby, I don't know if I can stop. I've wanted you since I first saw you, and now I can have you, and its driving me crazy. But I won't hurt you, I swear on my name, I could never hurt you." Cruel memories, echoes of the other kids taunting 'rapist's son' came from the back of his mind.

"You won't," she said, pulling him up and embracing him fully. "Throttle, I know you could never do that. You're the most honorable man I've ever known. Its part of why I love you"-she gasped, her hand pulling back and covering her runaway mouth. She hadn't meant to say that, not yet.

Throttle's eyes went wide in surprise. He knew she cared, but this? "You love me?" he said, his voice unreadable.

_Aw, hell_. She blushed as she spoke. "Yeah. For the longest time." She found her courage and looked him in the eyes. "I think it was probably right after I first met you, that night when we went up on the scoreboard and watched the meteor shower. I-I thought you were so beautiful, outside as well as in. I love you, Throttle."

He almost crushed her in his arms as he held her tight to him. Love had gone so badly for him with Carbine. But what he felt for Charley was nothing like what he'd felt before. It was so much stronger, it honestly scared him. If he lost her, there would be no coming back. And he didn't care. He had to have her with him; he had to have her affection. And now he had her love. There was nothing to fear now.

"I, oh Charley, I-"-he tried so hard to tell her everything, everything in his heart, and spoke the truth the best he could, "I love you, my Charley-girl." He kissed her deep and slow, their passion getting stronger as it went on. The Martian's hands slid down her waist, undoing the snap of her jeans. She took over and slid them down her hips, meaning to pull them off, but his next action stopped her. His tail slid back around her thighs as his hands returned to her breasts. His tail moved up and stroked against her inner flesh, making her cry out as it rolled and pressed. It slid further in, reaching her entrance and pushed inside her. She closed her eyes as her head fell back with a low cry, his touch there like nothing she had ever felt before.

Throttle moaned as his tail dove deeper into her, his hands pulling her hips closer to his own. Gods, she was so hot, so wet and tight. He stroked in and out of her body, raining kisses and love bites on her neck and breasts. When he felt her passage begin to tighten, he began to thrust his tail faster and harder within her. "You're so beautiful, my Charley-girl. Come for me, baby, please." He kissed her softly. His girl bucked against him, moans and cries spilling out in time to his movements until it was too much and not enough-

She screamed out his name as she came, legs now wrapped tight around his waist. He held her close as she shivered, tremors wracking her body from the feelings he'd given her. Goddess above, she was so beautiful. He nuzzled the side of her face as she calmed, gentle kisses to her brow and lips. "You alright?"

"That was amazing," she said softly, tucking her head into the crook of his neck to catch her breath. She slowly looked up into passion-hazed red eyes, still aware of the pressure against her belly from his now very tight jeans. "What about you? What do you need?" she asked.

_No one's ever asked that before._ He smiled. "Just you."

She smiled in return and pulled back from him, slipping out of his lap and kicking off her jeans and underwear. "There's something I've been dreaming about doing with you, if you want to."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, a slight smile on his lips. "You dream about me?"

"Since I first saw you," her husky voice replied. She couldn't help the blush that came over her cheeks as she spoke. "I dreamed about how you'd taste if I kissed you, how your fur would feel on my skin. How your arms would feel around me, and how my hands would feel roaming over you"-

He moved too fast for her to stop, pulling her against his chest and kissing her thoroughly. He gulped air as he pulled back from her, the girl looking none to steady at the moment. "Charley-girl," he leaned forward, his antennae brushing against her forehead. Hazy images flowed through her mind's eye; his memories of dreams of love and passion, and aching moments when he woke to find his arms empty. "I've dreamed of you, too."

She caught her breath and smiled mischievously, "Then maybe we should make some dreams come true."

"As my lady wishes," he said with a devious smile of his own, quickly unbuckling his belt and shucking off his jeans, boots and socks. They took their time to look at each other. She stared at the planes and angles of his hard body, the fur that covered him shorter on his stomach, like suede, the rest of the fur like longer velvet. Strong arms, powerful legs, trim hips, a long curving tail. She could even see the fine scars that ran over his body, souvenirs of the terrible war he and his bros fought every day. _Oh god, he is gorgeous,_ she thought to herself.

Throttle saw the desire in her eyes as she looked at him, unable to help his body's reaction as he grew even harder. He let his gaze wander her body, so much smaller than his and almost delicate. If he were to stand behind her, it would look like he could swallow her whole. He traced his hands slowly down her soft, pale skin, taking in her full breasts, long legs, sweetly curved hips, and-"You have a tattoo?"

It was a symbol he recognized, the astrological sign for Mars, inked in black right beside her hipbone. She blushed at his look. "What? I'm an Aries. I didn't like the ram idea, so I went with the star."

"Oh, I'm not complaining," he said with his voice thick with desire and tinged with wonder. "Its just now that I know you have that mark of Mars on you, I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about it."

Her body shivered at the timbre of his voice, shuddering at the idea. She hadn't given her tattoo much thought after meeting them, but now it almost seemed like fate. _I have a mark of Mars on me,_ she thought to herself. _I like that. _The girl gave him a small smile as she moved closer to him, reaching forward to touch him. "I said we need to take care of you, and I will. You, otaku, need some serious spoiling."

Charley barely hesitated before placing a hand lightly against his hip. She carefully started to run her hands over the tanned fur, watching as they trailed up his strong chest then slip down firm abs and thighs. The girl ran her hands down his tail as her head lowered down, brushing her lips over his hip and stomach, then following up the center of his chest. A groan rewarded her efforts as she continued up and across his muscled chest, giving him nips and small bites until she reached the sensitive spot on his shoulder. He cried out as her small teeth wreaked havoc on one of his most intense hot spots. His entire body shuddered as she brought her hands around to stroke his sides and shoulders before touching his nipples, all the while nipping and sucking on his neck. Her touch felt so good! The Martian could barely stop himself from screaming as her hands started to slide lower.

"Mother of Mars, woman!" He moved to face her, his arms wrapping around her as he kissed her. His bionic eyes were burning when he looked at her. "Baby, I love you, but I can't take anymore."

She gasped at the intensity of his stare. "Then let me help you," she breathed. Throttle moaned loudly as she began to rub her hand along his shaft, curling her fingers around him and stroking from base to tip. He put both hands at her waist, needing to hold on to something to keep the world from spinning. She used her other hand to reach lower and hold his heavy testes. The mouse nearly saw stars as she rolled and kneaded his sac, still stroking his length. "Charlene, oh sweet baby, yes," he moaned.

"Do you want more?" she asked.

"More?" he said in confusion. What more was she talking about? He got his answer when she suddenly moved to go down on her knees in front of him. "Charley?"

She met his eyes with a wicked smile and blew against his cock. His eyes went wide in shock at the feeling of cold air, "Charley-girl, wh-what are you"-

"Do you trust me?" she asked, her voice husky.

"Always, baby-girl," came his instant answer.

"Then please, Throttle, just let me touch you," she said, giving a soft kiss to the tip of his shaft. His body jerked suddenly as a few long, auburn tresses slipped over Charley's shoulder and trailed silkily over his sensitive head. "I want to touch you so badly."

The mouse gasped out loud, turning it to a full-out shout as she began to lick the head and sides of his length. Finally, she moved forward and parted her lips to slowly take him into her mouth. The Martian rolled his head back and almost screamed as her tongue pressed against him, the only words making it across his brain being 'hot,' 'wet,' and 'velvet.'

Oh gods, he'd only _heard _about this on other worlds; a dangerous, forbidden pleasure that males of dozens of planets paid dearly to attain. The sheer amount of trust involved in such an act was staggering to him. He hadn't even believed it was physically possible. Martian women couldn't do this with their larger front teeth, making oral sex something very one-sided on Mars. But his human girl not only could, she was _eager_ to give this to him. That she was even willing to do so for him, to go on her knees to pleasure him, humbled the mouse like nothing else.

She pulled her mouth back and forth across his flesh, making him moan her name until he would have sworn he couldn't remember his own. He felt the tension building and tried to warn her, unsure if she wanted to take all of him or not. "Charley...Charlene, wait-you have to stop...oh, Mother of Mars!" he groaned as she sucked back on him. "Charley-girl, s-stop, stop."

She pulled back from him, growing worried. "Is something wrong? Do you not like it?"

"Love it," he panted, cupping the side of her face. A small part of him wondered if he was insane for denying himself the pleasure her mouth had offered, but-"But babe, I'm getting real close. I-I don't-" _I_ _don't think you want me to come in your mouth,_ he thought with a blush.

"Its okay," she said softly, turning her head and kissing the palm of his hand. "I want you to." She locked her gaze on his. "I want you. Please, baby? Let me make you feel good?"

His bionic eyes went wide at the look on her face. Love, acceptance, desire, even need shone in her eyes; all for him. His voice shook and broke, "G-Goddess above, I love you."

She smiled, "And I, you." The girl leaned back down, taking him into her mouth once more. She began to hum as she sucked him, the vibrations like nothing he'd ever felt before. The mouse had reached his limit. Throttle couldn't hold back anymore and with a wordless roar, his orgasm screamed across his body. Stars burst across his vision, and in the searing pleasure she brought him, he only knew one thing. He loved this woman, and he would never let her go. He gently pulled her up from the floor and held her as close as he could, rolling to his side and wrapping his arms to cradle her and his tail coiled at her waist. He was almost unable to believe what they'd just done together. "Mother of Mars," he breathed, his body still shuddering in aftershocks. "Are you alright, Charley-girl?"

"Oh yeah," she said, wiping away the last traces of his seed from her lips before lazily wrapping her arms around him. "I don't think I can move for the rest of the night, but I'm good."

"Same here," Throttle said dazedly.

"You're welcome," she said with a self-satisfied smile.

He gave her an odd look before shaking his head with a laugh, "You're not right."

"Thank you," she said cheerfully. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, aqua eyes filled with an emotion he finally had a name for. "I love you, Throttle."

"I love you too, sweet Charley-girl," he said, wrapping his arms around her. She nuzzled into his chest, her breathing quickly becoming smooth and even in sleep. He smiled in happiness as he held her. In moments, he fell into the most peaceful sleep he'd ever known. For once in his life, all was well in his world.


End file.
